All living things are the result of successful adaptation. Some of these adaptations are physical and some are behavioral. Together, these adaptations make each living thing unique. This program will introduce the concepts of evolution, natural selection and species with examples from the Museum's dioramas, specimens, casts and pelts.

Grade Level: Elementary & Middle School

Core Science Curriculum Framework Standards: 3.2, 4.2, 5.2, 6.2

Next Generation Science Standards:

3-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

3-LS2-1. Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive.

3-LS3 Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits

3-LS3-1. Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms.

3-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

3-LS4-2. Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing.

3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.